Primary day has come and gone with few surprises, at least from where I sit.
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While the major media claim Democrat Carol Shea-Porter’s victory in the 1st District is an "upset", I disagree. Being an outspoken antiwar liberal, Shea-Porter reflects where the so-called "base" of the Democrats are at this moment- far to the looney left. Call this one NH’s "Lieberman/Lamont" race. Moonbat Shea-Porter handily beat the establishment candidate with impeccable party credentials, support from higher up the Democratic food-chain, and gobs of money. While the grass-roots Dems may think their warmed-over sixties version of peace, love, and happiness combined with a "cut and run" war plan is wildly popular at the moment, if a majority of the electorate in the general stop and think, they will realize why, as bad as the Repubs might be, the alternative is worse.
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This November, voters in the 1st CD will have a clear choice between the Republican incumbent Jeb Bradley (he handily won the primary) who is great on the border issue, lousy on the environment (votes against drilling for oil), correct with his support for the war, and generally fiscally conservative- and the ultra-left wing Cindy Sheehan type, Carol Shea-Porter. After people think about the two candidates positions, they will do the right thing and send Jeb back to D.C.
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The 2nd NH Congressional District primary has set the stage for a re-match of the last general election between Republican incumbent Charlie Bass and Democrat Paul Hodes. Charlie is more often than not a liberal on most issues. Most of my conservative brethren would like to see Charlie go away. Another primary… and still Charlie stays. He is right on the war, however, and that is of paramount importance. Bass and Hodes might be in lockstep on many social and environmental issues, but the Democrat also favors a "cut and run" strategy of withdrawal from Iraq. Like it or not, we must send Charlie back to D.C.
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Continue reading for local (central NH) race analysis…
Closer to home, the news isn’t that Sen. Rob Boyce lost the primary- I think that was a given- it’s the overwhelming margin by which he got trounced. Voting right while completely blowing off his constituents has finally caught up with the soon to be retiring senator. Let that be a lesson for others… It didn’t help that there was an organized effort to get party-switching Democrats and their "independent" comrades to take a Republican ballot and to participate in the anti-Boyce movement.
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It’s now up to us to hold the winner true to his claim of being just as conservative as Boyce on the major issues. I plan on keeping the literature sent to me during the campaign from “Coach” Fitzgerald for future reference. I don’t want to hear a “need” to deviate from his “no income or sales tax” stance just because NH’s rogue courts have said so (indirectly, of course) recently with their latest ruling involving education funding. I expect he’ll wholeheartedly support measures preventing the courts from conducting the state’s business, keeping it rightfully in the hands of the peoples’ elected representatives, just like Boyce would have.
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In the NH House, the incumbent country-club Republicans closed ranks and (in addition to actively working for the aforementioned Senator Boyce’s ouster) preserved their spots for another cycle. Laconia denied Judy Krahulec, for a second time in less than a year, an elected position. Throughout the Lakes Region, the same old familiar faces will be on the ballot this November representing Republican offerings. Expect little from this bunch in the form of new ideas, other than they’re not quite as bad as what the Democrats have to offer- liberal faux-Republicans Alida Milham and Jim Pilliod, notwithstanding.
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In the NH House, the incumbent country-club Republicans closed ranks and (in addition to actively working for the aforementioned Senator Boyce’s ouster) preserved their spots for another cycle. Laconia denied Judy Krahulec, for a second time in less than a year, an elected position. Throughout the Lakes Region, the same old familiar faces will be on the ballot this November representing Republican offerings. Expect little from this bunch in the form of new ideas, other than they’re not quite as bad as what the Democrats have to offer- liberal faux-Republicans Alida Milham and Jim Pilliod, notwithstanding.
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Yesterday’s Daily Sun, reporting on the Republican County Attorney primary, noted that the winner, interim County Attorney Wayne Coull, won by a smaller than expected margin. Coull “campaigned aggressively for the nomination while [opponent Ken] Anderson, a former Grafton County Attorney who now lives in Gilford, did not campaign.” What does that tell you? Perhaps many voters recalled his little “incident” during Bike Week several years back? The race between him and his Democratic opponent, former City Prosecutor Jim Carroll, is one to watch this November.
